How NFT Marketplace Royalties Actually Work

Slug: /guides/how-marketplace-royalties-work/ — explainer. Category: guides.

Creator royalties — a percentage of each resale sent to the NFT’s creator — are set by the marketplace, not enforced by the blockchain. That one fact explains the whole royalty debate of the last few years.

The mechanics#

• Royalty is configured per collection — the creator declares a percentage (commonly 2.5%–10%) that attaches to secondary sales.
• Enforcement is a venue policy — the NFT contract can’t stop a sale; the marketplace chooses whether to honor the declared royalty. “Enforced” venues pay it; “optional” venues let the seller skip it; “minimum-enforced” venues (like Blur‘s model) enforce a floor.
• The seller usually pays it — royalties come out of the sale proceeds, so they’re effectively a seller cost that shows up in your net on the listing preview.

What the war was about#

In 2022–2024, venues raced to zero-fee/zero-royalty models to win trader market share — creators lost income, venues won volume, then the industry partially reverted. Today’s registry shows the settlement: most major venues enforce at least a minimum royalty; a few remain optional. Our fee guide shows the current per-venue models in the registry.

What it means for sellers#

• Your real net = price − marketplace fee − royalty − gas.
• Royalty-heavy collections cost more to exit — factor the collection’s royalty before buying in.
• Venue choice changes the royalty you pay — optional-royalty venues can let you keep more (at the cost of the creator’s economics).

Bottom line#

Royalties are a policy, not a law of the chain — check the venue’s model in the directory and your net in the listing preview.

Last reviewed: October 2026

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Keep researching: directory · fees explained · legitimacy checklist · how to choose